The present invention generally relates to special reproducing systems for reproducing rotary recording mediums, and more particularly to a special reproducing system for obtaining a special reproduction picture, by recording a signal (kick signal) on the rotary recording medium for performing special reproduction and reproducing at least a part of a plurality of tracks upon reproduction by suitably using the above kick signal.
A new information signal recording and/or reproducing system has been proposed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,315,283 and 4,322,836, of which the assignee is the same as that of the present application. According to this proposed system, the recording system forms pits in accordance with an information signal being recorded along a spiral track on a flat rotary recording medium (hereinafter simply referred to as a disc), without forming a groove therein. In the reproducing system, a reproducing stylus traces over along this track to reproduce the recorded information signal in response to variations in electrostatic capacitance.
In this system, since no grooves for guiding the reproducing stylus are provided on the disc, it becomes necessary to record pilot or reference signals on or in the vicinity of a track of a program information signal, on the disc. Upon reproduction, the reference signals are reproduced together with the program information signal. Tracking control is carried out so that the reproducing stylus accurately traces along the track in response to the reproduced reference signals.
By use of this previously proposed system, there is no possibility whatsoever of the reproducing stylus or the disc being damaged since the recording track has no groove. The reproducing stylus can trace the same portion of the track repeatedly many times, whereby a special reproduction such as still picture reproduction, slow-motion reproduction, or quick-motion reproduction becomes possible in a case where the recorded information signal is a video signal.
In order to perform the above special reproduction, a kick pulse is produced by a special reproduction mode control circuit, and this kick pulse is applied to a tracking control coil in a signal pickup reproducing device, to shift the reproducing stylus to an adjacent track. Because the track is formed in a spiral manner, upon still picture reproduction, for example, the reproducing stylus is shifted to an adjacent track in the outer peripheral direction of the disc, once for every revolution of the disc. During slow-motion reproduction, the reproducing stylus is shifted to an adjacent track in the outer peripheral direction of the disc, once for every predetermined number of revolutions over one inclusive of the disc. Further, upon quick-motion reproduction, the reproducing stylus is shifted to a track in the inner peripheral direction of the disc.
Accordingly, the above conventional special reproduction was performed by carrying out still picture reproduction, slow-motion reproduction, and quick-motion reproduction with respect to a part of a program continuously recorded on the tracks formed on the disc.
However, there is now a demand for recording and reproducing various information programs on the disc. Hence, it is highly desirable to realize a new special reproducing system for obtaining special reproduction picture such as a reproduction picture obtained by composing differing recorded information and a reproduction picture obtained by selecting information from among a plurality of recorded information.